Reclaiming Glory
by Saoirse Driscoll
Summary: When your entire world is taken from you, will you sit still and watch it sail away? What is worth the cost of Reclaiming Glory? Part Two of the Kindred Spirit Series – Continuation of Send Her My Love
1. Chapter 1: Desperation

Title: Reclaiming Glory

Pairings: JS/OC, WT/ES

Overview: When your entire world is taken from you, will you sit still and watch it sail away? What is worth the cost of Reclaiming Glory? (Part Two of the Kindred Spirit Series – Continuation of **Send Her My Love**)

Disclaimer: You know, just because this is a new instalment of my story doesn't mean that I think I own Pirates of the Caribbean. Far from it in fact. It's not mine!

A/N: Wow! Tons and tons of reviews for the end of Send Her My Love! I was thrilled to see all the comments! A lot of you are looking for a happy ending, and to be honest, I'm a bit of a sucker for one too. However, this story is completely planned from beginning to end, so I already know what the final chapter of Reclaiming Glory will be (and I'm not telling you what happens yet, so ha!). There will be ten chapters for this one, and you may be asking, why on earth would I write an entire new story for that? Well, simply put, the entire atmosphere of the fic will be changing, so I figured a new title would be suitable.  
As I've said in previous notes in Send Her My Love, once this is written, it is written, and I'm not going to change it. However, after Reclaiming Glory, I may be doing a bit of a follow up piece, a set of shorts of something, just using the same characters. I'll let you know how I feel about that by the end of this story.  
Enough chatter from me, on to Reclaiming Glory!

* * *

Chapter One: Desperation  
One week to the day.

* * *

Things often appeared to be bleak and grey when there were no options. The familiarity of the wood behind her head was not comforting, nor were the faint sounds of bawdy laughter from the deck. The smell of the sea held no charm, not in this prison. She couldn't see it in any case, which made any attempts for escape somewhat futile. Payton held back her tears. She missed him, terribly. She kept expecting him to walk through the door, telling her to be quick, that they had to get out of here, or that he had killed that evil man, or even that she was safe. But as the days passed, the hope she was holding out for Jack was getting slim.  
She had marked the passing of time on the dark wood that made the structure of her prison. She was kept essentially in a box that had a grate on the front, it was tall enough to be a room, and wide enough to be a room, but had no comforts of a room – no bed, no chair, no furniture at all. There was a hole where a knot in the wood had fallen out that allowed her to see the ocean rushing past, and feel the spray of the water. But that gave her little joy now.  
Soon, she knew that someone would come for her. And she'd be taken above deck for a few moments before being pushed into Calico's cabin. At least then she'd eat – she only ever got the chance when she was with him. With she was below deck, she was pretty much ignored in all respects, not that she minded it too much. Sometimes she'd get visitors – a cabin boy who was petrified of staying aboard, but didn't know how to escape, or the cook, who would sneak her an end of bread and some grog. Other times Gilles would be there, no saying anything, just watching her. She never spoke to him, but even after he left, she felt dirty.  
Above, a shout, and Payton closed her eyes in despair. Calico wanted a girl. She heard the booted feet on the stairs, the creaking of the floorboards, and opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar crewmember standing there. Opening the grate, she was dragged out and taken again.

* * *

Jack was pacing. It was something he was very good at. Every now and then, he'd look over at the horizon to see if there were any ships nearby. But every time, it was an expanse of blue sea meeting blue sky. He'd kick the sand, and resume pacing, mumbling under his breath, cursing, trying to figure out something he could do. And every time he'd come up blank. Angry, he flopped down into the sand, aggressively picking up the rum bottle and downing most of it in one shot. Then he sighed, dropping the rum on the sand. It wasn't doing him much good, it wasn't even a good way to pass the time. Along with the rum, he was getting fairly tired of eating coconuts too. Though they may be tasty, a steady diet of the fruit was nothing short of boring. And even when he was drunk, it wouldn't help to solve his problems, it just made them seem worse. To top it all off, he was going stir crazy, trapped on this tiny spit of land. He missed the sea breeze on the deck of his Pearl, he missed the talk with his crew, he missed her. Though the surroundings could be called a paradise, there were many different names for prison. This one seemed to be the worst.  
He rubbed at his eyes, wishing that there was something he could do. But this island has so few resources, no vines to strap together logs, not much in the way of trees, so he was stranded. Marooned. It rankled to know that right now Calico Jacques had stolen his ship, his crew, and Payton, and gotten away with it. There was nothing he could do.

* * *

A/N: Yay, depressing! Okay, you all know what to do, lemme know what you think! I've got a fresh batch of cyber-cookies for those who do!


	2. Chapter 2: Loathing

Title: Reclaiming Glory

Pairings: JS/OC, WT/ES

Overview: When your entire world is taken from you, will you sit still and watch it sail away? What is worth the cost of Reclaiming Glory? (Part Two of the Kindred Spirit Series – Continuation of **Send Her My Love**)

Disclaimer: So, I was thinking about getting off my butt and putting some paperwork through to try and own POTC. Then I checked the price tag. It's so not mine. Not even if I won the lottery.

A/N: Hello hello to all my faithful readers! Isn't it wonderful that I haven't completely forgotten about this story? Right now, I feel absolutely miserable – sick, exhausted from work, stressed out, missing my guy, and generally just unhappy. However! What better way to improve my mood (and vent a bit) than to post a new chapter?!  
I couldn't think of a better way either. Though chocolate comes pretty damn close.  
First, to my wonderful reviewers, cookies! -throws randomly flavoured cookies into the small group-  
Princess-Maiden, I certainly hope that everything works out for them too. I love this pairing sooooo much! As for the island, my recommendation is wait and see. It'll be at least after this chapter, so I know I have you hooked for that long, lol.  
HeavenlyKitten, yeah, I'm disliking Calico. But, due to the evilness of my mind, you'll soon find out that he's not actually the worst of the bunch. And sorry about not updating very soon, but I was on a Boondock Saints tangent. Still am to be honest. Ah well. -grins-  
Yes, Nelle07, it's depressing, but I'm glad you have faith in Jack's abilities. He'll hafta get off the island otherwise the plot won't progress, and we can't have that, now can we?  
Sirenne Claire, I had no idea that this story had so much sway. I'm glad you missed it, and I'm glad that putting up the next part has made you this happy. Just… don't kill me, kay?  
And now, to chapter two.

* * *

Chapter Two: Loathing  
Stuck a world apart, sometimes you can only watch the tide of time.

* * *

Payton groaned as she woke to find herself battered, bruised, and surprisingly enough, in a soft bed. With a wince, she closed her eyes, then opened them again. The surroundings did not change. This did not bode well. It meant one thing – after last night's "activities", Calico had not sent her back below deck as was his custom. No, instead he kept her in his spacious cabin. She felt icy fear shoot from her head to her toes as she drew the blankets closer around her nude body. No, this did not bode well in the least.

* * *

Jack was ruminating while staring at a coconut that sat defiantly in the sand. It was defiant only for it's refusal to be broken, and that was something that Jack Sparrow – Captain Jack Sparrow – would not have. Not to mention that there were plenty more coconuts on the island. Not to mention that he was already tired of eating them. No, this was personal. It refused to break. So it would pay.

* * *

There were obvious benefits to remaining in the captain's quarters. For one, the view from the aft window was phenomenal, but that gave Payton little comfort as she could not spot the island where Jack had been left. The illusion of privacy was nice as well, Payton had rushed to clothe herself as soon as she felt able to leave the bed. There was food left invitingly on the large wooden table, but she was hesitant to touch it. She had always been a quick study, and she had seen that Calico had a mean and often quite sudden temper. That thought alone stayed her hand from what lay upon the table. Another obvious perk was the luxury and comfort of the room. Windows were draped with velvet cloth, tables were inlaid with gold, crystal decanters stood in a locked armoire, a plush carpet rested on the floor, and down filled pillow of all colours and sizes bedecked nearly available space on the seats and bed. But even amidst the pretext of comfort, Payton could only feel like she was back in her crate below deck. A gilded cage was a cage none the less.

Then there was the problem of crew. There were few who were decent men onboard – Payton had yet to meet the women, though she had seen a beautiful blonde staring at her when she was first dragged aboard. The majority of the crewmembers appeared to be the lowest scum of the earth – evil men with evil pasts that were best not recounted. She shuddered each time she passed each leering face, covered in scars or tattoos. Often pinching, ghostly hands would reach out and touch her while she was being escorted – far too nice a word for how she was dragged to Calico's chambers. Of these men, it was Gilles who frightened her the most. He never spoke to her, never once touched her. All the same, he had stared at her, and that stare had felt of things she never wished to experience, things she did not even want to think of, things she couldn't possibly think of. And he had smiled that oily smirk, enjoying her squirming, and then he left. This happened every time he had come to see her. She was more than slightly glad that the clothes she wore from the Pearl had not been taken from her, or damaged. She doubted that a dress would be enough fabric to make her feel safe.

However, there was one benefit she noticed as the day passed agonizingly slowly. The crew liked to gossip. Loudly. Frequently. While they worked right outside the door of the cabin. Payton allowed herself a small smile. Perhaps there was something that she could do in all of this mess, something that would amount to something in the grand scheme of things.

* * *

There were benefits to insanity. Gibbs had called him daft, and the man was not far off the mark with that one. The longer Jack stared at the offending coconut sitting before him, the further away from plans to destroy it his mind wandered. And as his mind wandered, he found the need to drag it back, kicking and screaming, and rein it tightly in, again. Perhaps that's why he was thought of as daft.

A breeze stirred his hair, damp with his own sweat, as Jack continued to look at the coconut, which, being a coconut, did not budge. It made for a good distraction, for a while. Then his mind would cycle back, with flailing arms and loud curses, to the solid fact of the matter – here sat Captain Jack Sparrow, marooned, alone, desperately lonely, and terribly afraid. A man who many claimed did not feel fear, was sitting beneath the shade of a palm tree, frightened beyond what he could cope with. Which is why he sat staring at the coconut while his mind churned disagreeably.

_Well, I could always shoot it…_

The problem with being marooned was that often times, the island you were stuck on was either, a) not populated, b) populated by cannibals, c) unmapped, or d) dreadfully boring. This island covered three of the qualifications in one go.

_Three outta four ain't bad…_

He stretched, looking heavenward at the empty expanse of blue sky. A solitary bird flew overhead, crying out in the barren expanse of air. Jack turned his eyes earth-ward, angrily cursing the bird for having wings, cursing it for being free to fly where it pleased, to do as it wish, to go where it wished. But mostly he cursed it for being free. His gaze returned to the coconut. As it was a coconut, it did nothing, serving only to irk Jack further. He picked up the rock that he had been using earlier to try to bash the coconut open, and threw it at the offending fruit.

It split neatly in half, leaving Jack staring at it, mouth agape. Then he laughed, picking up the two pieces and eating what he could from it. _Well, if that was a sign, then I suppose that the Powers That Be are telling me to be patient._ Again, he turned his morose gaze to the horizon. _Let's hope Payton has that sort of time._

* * *

Calico had returned late in the evening, taking what he wanted from Payton with not a word, no warning. She lay on the floor now, shivering, looking out at the sea while the waxing moon shone on. Wincing, she stood, and found her clothing in the dark, stealing past her captor on silent feet. The night was late, and few crew members were about on deck, and the captain's quarters were unguarded. Carefully, quietly, she slunk below the deck, making her way to the brig, hastily hiding to avoid any of the crew seeing her while they waiting for their turn with the other women aboard. Quickly, softly, she found the room she wanted, grabbing a key from the hook where the prison guard slept on, unaware. She winced when she heard the rust hinge scrape, but the guard did not stir, and she slipped into the room, eyes adjusting to the near pitch black inside. She could hear whispered words in voices that she recognized, and she made her way towards them, blind hands reaching out in front of her so she wouldn't bump into anything.

"Payton?" Hissed a female voice from one of the cells.

Payton blinked, then moved to the cell with a smile on her face. "Anamaria? Thank God you're okay!"

"I'd be better if I was out of here." The other woman grumbled. Gibbs interjected. "Did Jack come back?"

"No, no he isn't back. I managed to get away…" She smiled wistfully. "I've got the key. Who's in there with you?"

"Me an' Gibbs obviously, these two morons," Anamaria gestured to Ragetti and Pintel. "Also Mister Cotton, Abraham, Joesph, and Brian."

"Do you think that you could retake the Pearl?" Payton asked nervously.

Gibbs spoke up. "Probably. Why, d'ye have a plan lass?"

"Well, not much of one." She admitted bashfully. "Ye can swing over to the Pearl on one of the ropes here, an' then kill the resistance. From what I heard from the gossiping pirates earlier, the Pearl's only got a skeleton crew at best. They plan on selling you in Nassau, so most of the crew is in the brig over there." She unlocked the cell. "Follow me up. I know when it's safe." Dutifully, the pirates fell into step behind her. They moved passed the still sleeping guard, and Payton felt a twinge of pity for the man. She knew that what Calico would do to him for falling asleep on duty would be extremely painful, and could even involve an abrupt end to the man's life.

Then voices up ahead made her flatten herself to the wall, the pirates following suit. She peered down the dimly lit corridor to find two pirates at the junction of the hallways ahead. She cursed, then whispered back to those following her. "They're changing shift. This will make things difficult."

"Then we need to get movin' faster." Anamaria hissed, and Payton nodded.

"As soon as this guy is gone." She promised. Up ahead, the conversation ended, and the man moved down the hall. Payton could hear her heart pounding in her chest, and she watched, muscles tense as he got closer and closer. Then the man disappeared into one of the rooms along the corridor, and she breathed a breath of relief. "Let's get outta here." She guided the pirates up through the bowels of the Helio until they reached the open air of the deck. They paused in the shadows of the staircase, all eyes directed toward the path to freedom, looking for any obstacles. After several minutes of agonizing waiting, Payton decided the way was clear and they quickly moved across the deck to a secluded section by the rail. "Over there is the Pearl. We'll use this rope to swing across." She handed the rope to Gibbs. "Try not to make too much noise when you get over there, alright?"

He nodded curtly, sweating slightly. Gibbs climbed up on the rail, and gulped when he saw the murky waters below. Steeling himself, he pushed off from the Helio, and landed, with minimal difficulties on the deck of the Pearl. Payton let out a sigh of relief.

"Next?"

They passed across fairly easily, with little noise, and soon all that remained were Abraham, Anamaria and Payton. Unexpectedly, Abraham snatched the rope from Anamaria's hands, and sneered at Payton. "You'll be next ta go whore. First Jack, then ye, mark me words." He swung across and started shouting orders to the remaining crew who was alive on the Pearl. The noise from the other ship made the crew of the Helio come to the realization that something was terribly amiss, and alarm bells were rung. Payton cursed, and grabbed another rope, thrusting it on Anamaria. At her dubious expression, Payton sighed. "I'll be right behind you. I promise." Still not pleased, Anamaria took the rope anyway, swinging across to the Pearl to help the pirates.

Payton was waiting for the rope to return so she could swing back across when an iron hand latched onto her shoulder, making her cry out.

"So this's where ye went. What a naughty naughty little girl." Payton turned to see Gilles standing over her with the most disturbing smirk she had even seen on his face. She gulped, wishing she could get away. "Come now girly. Let's see what the Captain has to say about your mutinous behaviour." He dragged a struggling Payton away from the railing.

* * *

Please review! I look forward to knowing what you think. After all, review is to reader as updating is to writer, if you catch my drift that is.


	3. Chapter 3: Immediacy

Title: Reclaiming Glory

Pairings: JS/OC, WT/ES

Overview: When your entire world is taken from you, will you sit still and watch it sail away? What is worth the cost of Reclaiming Glory? (Part Two of the Kindred Spirit Series – Continuation of Send Her My Love)

Disclaimer: Pirates – not mine. Ships – not mine. Films – not mine. Guess that about sums it up.

* * *

A/N: Weeeell, would you lookie at the time. Yeah, I'm awful. It's been nearly a year since I updated, and I'm a horrible horrible author. You guys would be full right to smack me across the face for this delay. I've lost all my material on this story, so now I'm going to piece together what I remember and hope for the best with whatever else I can create.

To reviews!

PrincessMaiden – when have I ever done anything the easy way? And I'm glad you're so attached to Payton.  
Sirenne Claire – thanks for your interest, and you're the reason I got back to writing.

Kim – Glad you liked it! Here's some more – finally.

Last but not least, I'd like to warn y'all that this is going to be not so nice chapter, with some situations that may be squick-inducing to some members of the audience (references to rape, lots of blood and guts, etc). I know I haven't been too good with warnings in the past, but I'm planning on changing that as well.

* * *

Chapter Three: Immediacy  
Short-term liberation from what ails our cast.

* * *

Jack stared up into the looming darkness of the sky. Clouds had run over the starred ceiling, making the atmosphere feel even more gloomy as a harsh wind cut through the palm trees he was sitting under for shelter. He sighed, rolling over and snuggling deeper into the sandy grass beneath the tree to get away from the wind. The next gust of air sliced through his shirt and left him shivering. Staring sleeplessly out over the water, a burning restlessness gnawed at him, making his fingers twitch involuntarily. Gritting his teeth, he forced his heavy eyelids closed, thinking of calmer things. One thing was for certain – he couldn't keep hoping for a rescue. He had to think of something for himself.

* * *

On the Pearl, Anamarie hacked off the arm of one of the crewmates of the Helio. The man screamed, writhing in agony before she sliced off his head. Hair swirling around her as she glanced along the ship, she saw crew massing on the enemy ship. "Make this quick men!"

Cotton had managed to get up the stairs and beaten off the crew guarding the helm. Ragetti and Pintel were guarding the stairs, each holding a sword while Cotton spun the Black Pearl away from the Helio as crew began to swing over.

Anamarie flinched as she heard yelling coming from below decks, but grinned when she saw Gibbs leading a charge of the liberated crew of the Pearl. He fought his way over to her, occasionally taking a swig from his flask. "These are the last of 'em."

Anamarie merely nodded, ducking under a vicious swipe from a gnarled sailor. Angrily, she booted him in the stomach, making the man stagger back into another man's sabre. The man in question turned in confusion when he found his sword no longer moving like it was supposed to, and was quickly dispatched by another member of the Pearl's crew. The numbers of crew from the Helio was dwindling rapidly, like the image of the ship on the horizon. Finally, as the last members were dealt with, Anamarie took stock of the casualties. Most of the bodies on deck belonged to men from the Helio, but here and there were crew of the Pearl. Most would be missed. The only one who Anamarie didn't think she'd miss would be Abraham, who was lying in a pool of his own blood. Her only regret was that she hadn't been able to give the man a piece of her mind for screw the entire plan over. With a swish of fabric, she made an about face, marching to the helm. "Let's clear this mess up!"

The pirates began to drag the bodies to the rail to shove into the ocean, while a few tended to the more severely injured. Anamarie stopped beside Cotton and Gibbs. "We're headed back?"

"Aye, Cotton's already set course."

"Good."

* * *

Payton half-walked and was half-dragged up to the helm of the Helio, where Calico was currently stewing.

"Gilles?"

She winced as she heard the terse question, and drew in a steadying breath to prepare herself.

"Captain. She orchestrated it."

The captain turned his beady eyes to glower at the shaking girl. "Oh ouais? Fille, is this correct?"

"Yes," she whispered, voice cracking painfully as she forced the word out.

"What was that?" Calico growled his demand.

"Yes," she said again, standing straighter. Stars invaded her vision as he backhanded her against the railing.

"And whhhhhy is this fille?"

Payton winced, trying to stand up again while cradling her aching skull. Gilles aided her – pulling her up by her hair. She screamed.

"Answer you ungrateful bitch!" Gilles shoved her body away from him, making Payton sway unsteadily.

"Because it was the right thing to do."

Calico looked at her, then waved a hand. Gilles grabbed her arm, dragging her down the stairs, across the deck and down another set of stairs, out of view. There, he slammed her against the wall, eyes burning.

"Do you **know** what you've done?!" His hot breath on her face made her choke and cough. He shook her, knocking her head back against the wall with each jerk of her body. "Are you trying to get yourself killed you stupid whore?"  
Payton shook her head, trying to clear it as the world spun dizzyingly in front of her eyes. With a growl, Gilles grabbed the front of her dress and yanked it down, pawing at her breasts. Weakly, she tried to push him off but he forced her back against the wall, choking her with his other hand. Payton clawed at his hand, but it closed tighter around her throat, and gradually her already weak struggles grew weaker until they stopped entirely. The last thing she felt before she lost consciousness was Gilles' hand reaching up her skirt.

* * *

Jack woke to the water lapping of water against the shore. He scowled at the cheerful sun hanging above, and rolled over, looking to the pile of half-burnt wood from his previous stay. With tremendous effort and an iron will, Jack pushed him up off of the sand that shifted beneath his booted feet and headed to the pile of half-charred wood to find something remotely sea worthy. He had waited long enough.

* * *

"How much longer?"

"Another couple of days, maybe day and a half?" Gibbs shrugged. "We're makin' good time, we won't get there any faster by worryin'. He'll be fine."

Anamarie scowled at the sails that lounged half full against the mast. "The sooner we get him back, the sooner we can regroup and go get Payton back."

"I'm sure the lass can take care of 'erself."

"She can't. You know it, I know it, hell, everyone but **she** knows it!"

Gibbs shook his head. "She's decent in a fight, an' a good study. Ye're not giving her half the credit she's owed."

Anamarie snorted. "Just tell me when land's sighted." She stalked away to bark more orders at the crew cleaning the deck.

* * *

Pulling half-charred wood out of the remains of a giant bonfire was no easy task. Jack fell back into the sand, hand covering his brow as he panted, exhausted. So far, he had managed to liberate all of three semi-useable planks. And that was the best of the pile. His self-appointed task seemed near impossible, and Jack wished that Calico had had the consideration to maroon him with a few of the crew from his Pearl.

Muscles weary and sore, Jack pulled himself unsteadily to his feet, limping over to the shade of a coconut tree. Early in his scavenging, a pile of wood had teetered and fallen onto his left boot. This resulting in Jack dropping the wood he had gathered and shout curses before wrenching his foot out from under the heavy wood. He had glared at the wreckage before diving back in, sorting the planks and splinters into piles of what was useable and what was not.

Jack pulled a coconut towards himself, leaning back against the tree with a sigh. Even if he could fashion himself a boat, he had nothing to hold it together. Finding nails – and making a hammer – would be just as difficult as finding the hull for the sea-craft. With a grunt, he slammed the coconut against a rock, splitting the fruit and shaking the tree. As he bit into the coconut's sweet flesh, another coconut chose at that time to fall directly onto his head with a loud thunk. "Mary mother of god!" He cursed, glaring up at the green branches.

It took him all of that day, and most of the next to just reach the bottom of the wood Elizabeth had used for the bonfire. Finally having sorted all his materials, Jack examined the materials he deemed acceptable for building a ship.

Of course they'd need submerged for at least a day before he could try using them. And he'd have to find something to keep them from floating away. And nails. And a hammer.

He sighed again, dejected. He had been sighing a lot – if he didn't watch it, he'd become morose. Then he'd be pretty useless. Hefting his pile of wood, he moved it to the beach, planning to find nails after lunch.

* * *

Anamarie was pacing, yelling at anyone who entered the path of her vision. The island where Jack had been marooned was not even visible from the crows nest – and she'd know if it was. She climbed up just to check. And double checked with aid of a spyglass. At that point, Gibbs had insisted she go do something productive instead of making him queasy. Sending him a dark glare, she had stalked off to harass the crew into levels of productivity never before seen on the Pearl.

She was about to yell at an unfortunate man scrubbing the deck until she heard the pirate in the crows nest shout "land ho!" Filled with hope, Anamarie dashed up to the helm, taking the spyglass off of Gibbs.

"Looks like we've arrived."

She let out a breath. "Finally."

* * *

Jack was kneeling, hunting through the gritty sand for nails. His pants were covered in splinters, and his face was beaded with sweat from the hot sun. Holding his prize – five nails – in his hand, Jack leant back on his haunches, and nearly fell over in shock. On the horizon was a ship with black sails, barely discernable, but moving closer. Looking up into the cloudless sky, he grinned, thanking whoever had been listening for providing him a way out of this mess.

As he moved to the shore, a thought occurred to him. What if Calico Jacques had come back in the Pearl to kill him, to make sure he actually died? Jack pursed his lips, squinting at the tiny ship. It would likely be at the island by nightfall, he would know by then. But there was no sense in not being prepared. That in mind, Jack started planning.

* * *

A crescent moon hung overhead, stars shimmering over the endless water. The Pearl moored in the deeper waters, a fair distance away from the island. Anamarie looked at the darkened shore.

"Are we sure this is the right island?" She stood at the rail beside Gibbs.

"Aye, looks like it." He climbed over the rail and down into the waiting boat. Without further words, the five crewmembers pushed away from the hull of the Pearl and began rowing to shore.

Half hidden behind a coconut tree, Jack watched their approach. In his hand was a hastily constructed club made of a plank with a nail in the end. He didn't think it would last too long, but the element of surprise was all he was going for – he would steal the boat and then figure out how to take back the Pearl and free his crew. If all went well.

As the boat drew closer, Jack heard a familiar voice shouting his name. Popping his head out from behind the tree trunk, he recognized Gibbs holding a lantern as he jumped ashore. Hesitantly, Jack called back, "Mister Gibbs?"

"Capt'n? We've got the Pearl back. S'ready for ye."

"And pray tell _how_ did you manage that Mister Gibbs?"

Gibbs shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Payton got us out."

Jack's heart leapt. "Is she here?"

"Uh, no Capt'n. We weren't able to get her out."

Jack moved out from behind the tree, looking intently at Gibbs. "We're going to have to go get her then. And I expect a full explaination."

"Aye Capt'n!"

* * *

A/N: Reviews always appreciated, and I'll hopefully have four done within the next week for posting.


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